This application claims the priority of German patent application Ser. No. 199 04 443.0 filed Feb. 4, 1999. The disclosure of the above-referenced German patent application, as well as that of each US and foreign patent and patent application mentioned in the specification of the present application, is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for supplying blanks to a packing machine, e.g., a machine wherein the blanks are converted into containers for separately produced and/or assembled commodities and wherein the filled containers are or can be sealed prior to transport to storage or directly to the consumers.
It is customary or necessary to produce blanks (e.g., cardboard blanks which can be converted into boxes of any desired size and/or shape) at a location remote from the machine or machines wherein the boxes are filled with certain types of commodities, e.g., with cigarette packs or with so-called cartons containing arrays of cigarette packs. It is advisable to collapse preassembled boxes into flat blanks having two or more overlapping panels to thus simplify the transport of collapsed boxes from the maker of boxes to the consuming or processing (e.g., a packing) machine. As a rule, the processing machine is provided with a magazine for continuously or intermittently supplied collapsed blanks as well, as with suitable means for removing collapsed blanks from the magazine, for erecting or expanding the removed blanks, and for filling the thus obtained empty containers with arrays of commodities.
A method of and an apparatus for supplying blanks in the form of collapsed boxes are disclosed, for example, in published German patent application Serial No. 38 05 974 A 1. The apparatus which is described in the German publication employs a pallet which receives a stack of superimposed flat or substantially flat horizontal blanks from a maker of blanks and cooperates with a tilting conveyor serving to lift successive topmost blanks off the stack and being set up to move the thus removed blanks from a horizontal plane into an at least substantially vertical plane. The thus tilted or pivoted blanks are introduced into the magazine of the packing machine.
Published German patent application Serial No. 42 10 812A 1 discloses a box filling machine which employs a transfer unit serving to lift successive topmost horizontal blanks off a stack of such blanks on a pallet and to introduce the thus lifted horizontal blanks directly into that unit of the packing machine which is designed to convert a blank in the form of a collapsed box into an erected or expanded box ready to receive an array of commodities, e.g., cartons containing predetermined numbers of cigarette packets. The transfer unit of the just described apparatus employs (or can employ) a suction-operated blank lifting and advancing conveyor.
A drawback of presently known methods and apparatus of the above outlined character is that a substantial number of blanks which reach the packing machine enter the machine in an orientation which departs from an optimum or predetermined orientation. This can create numerous problems such as the conversion or erection of misoriented collapsed blanks into unsatisfactory receptacles incapable of receiving predetermined arrays of cigarette packs or other commodities. Moreover, a misoriented blank is apt to come to a halt in a position in which it blocks the path for advancement of next-following (properly oriented) blanks. This can necessitate a temporary slowdown or full stoppage of an entire production line, e.g., a production line employing a plain cigarette maker, a filter rod making machine, a filter tipping machine, a carton filling machine, a carton wrapping machine, and a boxing machine wherein groups of wrapped cartons are to be introduced into erected blanks such as cardboard boxes.
An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which ensures that a machine for introducing commodities into boxes constituting prefabricated and subsequently expanded or erected blanks invariably receives blanks the orientation of which at least approximates an ideal or optimum orientation.
Another object of the invention is to reduce the number of rejects in a production line employing one or more packing machines designed to introduce arrays of commodities into boxes or analogous receptacles constituting converted blanks of cardboard or the like.
A further object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with novel and improved means for manipulating properly oriented as well as misoriented blanks in a path between a maker of blanks and a packing machine serving to convert the blanks into receptacles and to fill the thus obtained receptacles.
An additional object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means for transporting blanks which constitute collapsed boxes or analogous receptacles.
Still another object of the invention is to provide the improved apparatus with means for building stacks, piles or analogous accumulations of properly oriented blanks made of cardboard or the like.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of correcting the orientation of misoriented blanks and/or of preventing misorientation of blanks which are being supplied to a packing machine.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of supplying to a consumer short or long series of successive blanks in such a way that each blank which reaches the consumer is compelled to assume a desired orientation or to maintain such orientation at the locus of entry into the consumer.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a method which renders it possible to position the maker of blanks at any desired practical distance from the user of blanks, e.g., in a plant wherein rod-shaped smokers products are packed, the packets cartoned, and the cartons boxed for storage and/or for transport to consumers.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method which renders it possible to treat gently collapsed cardboard boxes on their way from a maker or another source of blanks and all the way to the station where the blanks are put to use.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of accumulating stacks of superimposed blanks wherein each and every blank is in a position of full overlap with the neighboring blank or blanks.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for the practice of the above outlined method.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be installed in existing production lines for the making, testing, assembling and packing products of the tobacco processing industry.
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a method of supplying blanks to a packing machine (e.g., to a machine known as CP 90 case packer and distributed by the assignee of the present application) in a predetermined orientation. The method comprises the steps of establishing a path for the transport of blanks from a source (such source can comprise one or more stacks or piles of superimposed blanks) to the packing machine, advancing the blanks from the source to the packing machine along the path, and changing the orientation of the blanks when such orientation of blanks in the path departs from the predetermined orientation.
The blanks can constitute at least substantially flat collapsed bodies (e.g., collapsed boxes made of a material having or resembling the characteristics of cardboard). As already mentioned hereinbefore, such collapsible boxes can be utilized to receive and confine so-called cartons each of which contains an array of cigarette packets of the type known as soft or hinged-lid packets). For example, each box can be dimensioned to receive five neighboring stacks of five cartons each, and each carton can contain two layers of five cigarette packets each.
The advancing step can comprise conveying successive blanks of a series of discrete blanks, and the orientation changing step can comprise individually reorienting discrete blanks having orientations departing from the predetermined orientation.
The advancing step can also comprise temporarily arresting the blanks in a predetermined portion of the path; in accordance with such method, at least a portion of the orientation changing step can be carried out in the predetermined portion of the path. The advancing step of such method can include conveying successive blanks of a series of successive blanks from the source into the predetermined portion of the path wherein the blanks are caused to dwell until after completion of a portion of or the entire orientation changing step, and the advancing step can further include conveying blanks from the predetermined portion of the path to the packing machine upon completion of the orientation changing step. Such method can further comprise the step of temporarily stacking blanks in the predetermined portion of the path. The stacking step can precede, take place simultaneously with or follow the orientation changing step. The orientation of each temporarily stacked blank can already match the predetermined orientation. That portion of the advancing step which includes conveying blanks from the predetermined portion of the path to the packing machine preferably includes preventing changes of orientation of blanks between the predetermined portion of the path and the packing machine.
The method can further comprise the step of monitoring the orientation of each blank furnished by the source, and the orientation changing step of such method can include changing the orientation of each blank the monitoring of which has resulted in a detection of orientation departing from the predetermined orientation. The monitoring step can form part of or can be carried out simultaneously with the orientation changing step.
The orientation changing step can include imparting to the blanks motion by way of their marginal portions.
If the blanks are elongated (or even square), i.e., if each blank has a longitudinal extension (i.e., length) and a transverse extension (i.e., width), the orientation changing step can include moving those blanks whose orientations depart from the predetermined orientation in the direction of the longitudinal and/or transverse extension of the misoriented blank. Alternatively, the orientation changing step can include moving the blanks having orientations departing from the predetermined orientation transversely of the longitudinal extension and/or transverse extension.
Still further, the orientation changing step can include causing at least the misoriented blanks to descend by gravity (e.g., in a vertical chute) with attendant changes of orientation.
The orientation changing step can be followed by a step of stacking the blanks on a support (such as a vertically movable platform) defining a preselected portion of the path. The orientation changing step of such method can include interrupting the advancement of successive blanks of a series of blanks supplied by the source at a level above the support, shifting at such level those (misoriented) blanks the orientation of which departs from the predetermined orientation, and thereupon effecting a gravitational descent of blanks from the aforementioned level onto the support. Such orientation changing step can further include maintaining successive blanks of the series at the aforementioned level in a horizontal plane in the course of the shifting step and prior to gravitational descent of successive blanks.
The advancing step can include changing the inclination of blanks from an at least substantially vertical plane into an at least substantially horizontal plane or vice versa.
As already mentioned hereinbefore, the source can be constituted by at least one pile of superimposed blanks including blanks having and blanks departing from the predetermined orientation.
Another feature of the present invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for supplying blanks from a source to a packing machine in a predetermined orientation. The improved apparatus comprises essentially means for advancing blanks from the source to the packing machine along a predetermined path, and means for changing the orientation of blanks when the orientation of blanks in the predetermined path departs from the predetermined orientation. The blanks are or they can constitute at least substantially collapsed flat (actually flattened multi-layer) bodies of a material constituting or resembling cardboard.
The source can contain or consist of at least one accumulation (such as a stack or a pile) of blanks, and the advancing means can comprise (singularizing) means for converting the accumulation of blanks into a series (such as a file) of successive blanks.
The advancing means can comprise means for temporarily arresting the blanks in a predetermined portion of the predetermined path, and the orientation changing means of such apparatus is or can be arranged to change the orientation of blanks in the predetermined portion of such path. The advancing means of such apparatus can further comprise means for the stacking arrested blanks in the predetermined portion of the path, and the apparatus can further comprise means for preventing or for reducing the likelihood of changes of orientation of blanks between the predetermined portion of the path and the packing machine.
The orientation changing means can comprise means for imparting motion at least to the marginal portions of those (misoriented) blanks the orientation of which departs from the predetermined orientation. Such motion transmitting means can include means for moving the misoriented blanks lengthwise and/or widthwise, i.e., in the direction of their longitudinal and/or transverse extension or extensions. The motion imparting means can include pushers for marginal portions of the blanks.
In many instances, the marginal portions of the blanks are provided with corners having mutually inclined edge faces, and the motion imparting means of the orientation changing means in an apparatus for manipulating such types of blanks can include pushers for the edge faces of corners of at least those (misoriented) blanks in a predetermined portion of the path the orientation of which departs from the predetermined orientation. Such pushers can include substantially V-shabed blank-engaging portions.
The orientation changing means can include means for shifting misoriented blanks lengthwise and/or widthwise (i.e., transversely of at least one of their longitudinal and or transverse extensions). Such shifting or guide means is installed in or at a predetermined portion of the path and can include a plurality of stationary elongated guide members arranged to engage mutually inclined marginal portions of blanks in the predetermined portion of the path. The guide members are or can be at least substantially parallel to each other. For example, the guide members can include at least substantially vertical portions defining a chute for blanks in the predetermined portion of the path. Such orientation changing means can further include the aforementioned support (e.g., a platform) which is arranged to intercept successive blanks which descend in the chute and to thus accumulate a stack of superimposed blanks having orientations matching the predetermined orientation. Still further, such orientation changing means can comprise means for moving the support in the duct between an upper level and a lower level, and pushers for marginal portions of the blanks; the pushers can be installed in the predetermined portion of the path at the upper level of the support. Such orientation changing means can also comprise props which are arranged to temporarily support, at a level above the chute, successive blanks of a series of blanks being advanced from the source to the predetermined portion of the path. Still further, such orientation changing means can be equipped with means for shifting the props between extended positions in which the props intercept and thus prevent gravitational descent of a blank in the chute, and retracted positions in which the intercepted blank is free to descend in the chute under the action of gravity until the descending blank is intercepted by the support. The props can include a pair of ledges which confront each other across the chute and are movable toward each other to their extended positions and away from each other to their retracted positions.
The improved apparatus can further comprise a magazine or reservoir or other suitable means for temporarily accumulating piles of properly oriented and reoriented blanks in a second portion of the path between the predetermined portion and the packing machine.
The advancing means can comprise at least one pneumatic conveyor means for discrete blanks or another suitable conveyor which can lift successive blanks off a pile of randomly distributed properly oriented and misoriented blanks and thereupon transports the lifted blanks into the range of the orientation changing means.
If the source comprises one or more supplies of collapsed blanks which can be expanded to constitute boxes or the like, the packing machine can comprise means for expanding the collapsed blanks and for introducing arrays of block-shaped commodities into the expanded blanks.
In many instances, the orientation changing means can be designed and installed in such a way that it comprises means for manipulating successive blanks in a plurality of different portions of the path extending from the source to the packing machine.
The different portions of the path can include at least one substantially horizontal and at least one at least substantially vertical portion.